CN114312651B

CN114312651B - Occupant collision protection device for vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN114312651B
Application number: CN202110959523.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 关塚诚
Original assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Motor Corp
Priority date: 2020-09-29
Filing date: 2021-08-20
Publication date: 2024-02-09
Anticipated expiration: 2041-08-20
Also published as: CN114312651A; US11529924B2; JP7380499B2; JP2022056092A; US20220097641A1

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle. An occupant collision protection apparatus is an occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle that includes a passage between a side surface of a seat in a vehicle width direction and a dash wall facing the side surface. The occupant collision protection apparatus includes: a seat-side airbag device configured to deploy a seat-side cushion portion between the tunnel and the occupant seated on the seat, the seat-side airbag device being placed around the seat; and a wall-side airbag device including a wall-side cushion portion configured to be deployed downward from an upper side of the dash panel, the wall-side airbag device being placed inside an end portion of the roof panel on the dash side.

Description

Occupant collision protection device for vehicle

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle. In particular, the present invention relates to an occupant collision protection apparatus that has an effect of suppressing an occupant seated in a seat from being thrown out to a tunnel side at the time of a side collision of a vehicle, and an effect of absorbing an impact to be applied to the occupant, for a vehicle including a tunnel between a side surface of the seat in a vehicle width direction and a dash wall facing the side surface.

Background

Japanese unexamined patent application publication No. 2005-178611 (JP 2005-178611) A describes the following configuration. That is, the curtain airbag is placed along the roof side of the vehicle in a folded state, and when the vehicle collides with a side surface, the curtain airbag is inflated and deployed downward to protect an occupant.

Disclosure of Invention

In the construction described in JP 2005-178611A, in the case where a passage is formed between a seat on which an occupant sits and a dash wall facing a side surface of the seat in the vehicle width direction, the passage beside the seat forms a large space. Therefore, when the vehicle collides laterally (at the time of a side collision), for example, the occupant may be thrown out so much that the occupant falls to the tunnel side, and the occupant may receive a large impact from the vehicle.

In order to restrain the occupant from being thrown out at the time of a side collision, it is also conceivable that only a single body of the airbag device deploys the cushion portion between the seat and the dash panel such that the cushion portion extends in the vehicle width direction. However, this situation causes drawbacks in that the size of the single body of the airbag device is enlarged and time is required to deploy the cushion portion.

The present invention relates to an occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle that includes a tunnel between a seat and a dash panel, and an object of the present invention is to suppress an occupant seated in the seat from being thrown out to the tunnel side when a side collision of the vehicle occurs, and to efficiently absorb an impact to be applied to the occupant, without excessively enlarging the size of an airbag apparatus alone.

An occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle according to the present invention is an occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle that includes a seat in which an occupant sits and a passage between a side surface of the seat in a vehicle width direction and a dash wall that faces the side surface. The occupant collision protection apparatus includes a seat side airbag apparatus and a wall side airbag apparatus. The seat-side airbag device is configured to deploy a seat-side cushion portion between the tunnel and the occupant seated on the seat, the seat-side airbag device being placed around the seat. The wall-side airbag device includes a wall-side cushion portion configured to be deployed downward from an upper side of the dash panel, and is placed inside an end portion of the roof panel on the dash side.

In the occupant collision protection apparatus according to the present invention, in the case where a large space is provided between the seat and the dash panel due to the presence of the tunnel, when a load caused by a side collision is applied to the vehicle from the outer end of the tunnel side in the vehicle width direction and the occupant is thrown to the tunnel side, the deployed seat-side cushion portion is pushed by the occupant that is reversed to the tunnel side, so that the seat-side cushion portion is deformed to the tunnel side. At this time, the seat side cushion portion is deformed so that the distal end side thereof approaches the wall side cushion portion which is unfolded downward from the upper side. Accordingly, the distal end portion of the seat side cushion portion is pressed against the wall side cushion portion, so that the distal end portion can easily support the body of the occupant moving to the tunnel side. This makes it possible to easily suppress the occupant from being largely thrown out to the tunnel side, and easily absorb the impact to be applied to the occupant. Further, in this configuration, the support body that supports the occupant can be readily formed immediately from the two airbag devices without excessively enlarging the size of each airbag device unit.

In the occupant collision protection apparatus according to the present invention, the seat-side airbag apparatus may be placed on the lower side of a seat cushion having a seat surface of the seat, or closer to a tunnel side than the seat cushion. The seat side cushion portion may be configured to be deployed upward by a side surface of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction.

In the above configuration, when a side collision of the vehicle occurs, the distal end side of the seat side cushion portion moves toward the tunnel side as the occupant falls toward the tunnel side. At this time, since the seat-side cushion portion is unfolded upward by the side surface of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction, most of the seat-side cushion portion in the up-down direction is easily deformed along the body of the occupant. This makes it possible to more easily suppress the occupant from being thrown out to the tunnel side by a large margin.

In the occupant collision protection apparatus according to the present invention, the seat side airbag apparatus may be placed on a tunnel side of a seat back of the seat. The seat side cushion portion may be configured to be deployed forward.

In the above configuration, the seat-side airbag device is not placed beside the occupant at a normal time when no collision occurs in the vehicle. Thus, the space between the occupant and the cabin wall is spacious.

With the occupant collision protection apparatus according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress an occupant seated in a seat from being thrown out to the tunnel side and effectively absorb an impact to be applied to the occupant when a side collision occurs to the vehicle without excessively enlarging the size of each airbag apparatus cell.

Drawings

Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals show like elements, and in which:

fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cabin front side portion of a vehicle incorporating an occupant collision protection apparatus for the vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a view when fig. 1 is viewed from above;

fig. 3 is a view corresponding to fig. 1, and shows a state in which the seat-side airbag device is activated;

fig. 4 is a view when fig. 3 is viewed from above;

FIG. 5 is a view from the left side of the vehicle as seen in FIG. 3;

fig. 6 is a perspective view of the vehicle from the diagonally upper left side, and shows a state in which the wall-side airbag device is activated;

FIG. 7 is a view from the left side of the vehicle as seen in FIG. 6;

fig. 8 is a schematic view corresponding to the portion a in fig. 1, and shows a state in which the seat-side and wall-side airbag device is activated when the vehicle has slid in the arrow α direction in fig. 8 and collides with the test lever in a side collision test of the vehicle;

fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a cabin front side portion, and shows a state in which a seat side airbag device is activated in a vehicle that includes an occupant collision protection device according to another example of an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a cabin-front side portion of a vehicle incorporating an occupant collision protection apparatus according to another example of an embodiment of the invention;

fig. 11 is a view when fig. 10 is viewed from above;

fig. 12 is a view corresponding to fig. 10, and shows a state in which the seat-side airbag device is activated;

FIG. 13 is a view of FIG. 12 from the left side of the vehicle;

fig. 14 is a schematic view corresponding to part B in fig. 10, and shows a state in which the seat-side and wall-side airbag device is activated when the vehicle has slid in the arrow α direction in fig. 14 and collides with the test lever in a side collision test of the vehicle;

fig. 15 is a view of the dummy and the seat side cushion portion of the seat side airbag device, which are reversed to the channel side, as seen from above in fig. 14;

fig. 16 is a perspective view around the seat, and shows a state in which the seat-side airbag device is activated in the occupant collision protection apparatus according to another example of the embodiment of the invention;

fig. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion C in fig. 16; and

fig. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion D in fig. 16.

Detailed Description

An occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle according to an embodiment is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification, specific shapes, materials, numbers, arrangement positions, and the like are examples given for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and may be appropriately modified according to specifications. Further, an arrow F, an arrow U, and an arrow R shown in each figure indicate the front, the upper, and the right in the vehicle, respectively. Further, directions opposite to the arrow F, U, R indicate the rear, the lower, and the left in the vehicle, respectively.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a front side portion of a cabin 11 of a vehicle 10 that includes an occupant collision protection apparatus 20 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a view when fig. 1 is viewed from above. The vehicle 10 is a passenger vehicle configured such that an operator seat 12, in which an operator as an occupant sits, is placed on the front side of a vehicle cabin 11, and a plurality of passenger seats (not shown), in which a plurality of passengers can sit, are placed on the rear side of the operator seat 12. The vehicle 10 is substantially autonomous. For example, a passenger may sit on both sides of the vehicle 10 at the rear side of the operator seat 12 and get on and off the vehicle 10 through an access opening (not shown) configured to be opened and closed by a door. An operator may sit on the operator seat 12 and perform operations such as starting and stopping the vehicle and opening and closing the vehicle doors as needed. Note that the vehicle 10 may not be an autonomous vehicle and may be configured to allow an operator to conventionally drive the vehicle 10 via a steering wheel and an accelerator pedal. In fig. 1, an operator seat 12 may be placed at the center of the vehicle cabin 11 in the vehicle width direction. Note that in fig. 1 and some drawings to be described below, a dummy P for impact testing is seated on the operator seat 12 instead of the actual operator. In the following description, in order to describe the position of the operator sitting on the operator seat 12, the dummy P may be referred to as the operator P.

In the vehicle 10, the tunnel 51 is provided between the right side surface 13, which is one side surface of the operator seat 12 in the vehicle width direction, and the dash wall 50 that faces the right side surface 13. The dash wall 50 includes a trim made of resin, and forms the side surface of the cabin 11. An operator or passenger may pass through the tunnel 51. Hereinafter, the operator seat 12 is referred to as the seat 12. The following mainly describes a case where the tunnel 51 is formed on the right side in the cabin 11 of the vehicle 10. A seat frame structure 60 formed by combining the pillar portions 61, 62 and the lateral frame is placed on the rear side of the seat 12. The upright portions 61, 62 and the transverse frame serve to support the seat 12. The tunnel 51 may pass rearward from the right side of the seat 12 in the direction of arrow X in fig. 2, while the tunnel 51 avoids the seat frame structure 60. The cover 52 having a flat upper end is placed at a position on the cabin side adjacent to the lower portion of the cabin wall 50 such that the cover 52 extends in the front-rear direction. The cover 52 is constituted by a resin-made trim, and devices such as an air conditioner, an electronic device, and the like are accommodated within the cover 52.

The occupant collision protection apparatus 20 includes a seat side airbag apparatus 21 and a wall side airbag apparatus 31. The seat side airbag device 21 is placed around the seat 12. When a side collision of the vehicle 10 is detected, the seat-side airbag device 21 deploys the seat-side cushion portion 23 (fig. 3 to 4) between the tunnel 51 and the operator P sitting on the seat 12, so that the seat-side cushion portion 23 deploys upward from the lower side of the seat 12.

More specifically, the seat 12 includes a generally upright seat back 14 and a seat cushion 18 having a seating surface 18 a. The seat-side airbag apparatus 21 includes a housing 22 placed on a floor surface under the seat cushion 18 of the seat 12 and a seat-side cushion portion 23 (fig. 3, 4) accommodated in the housing 22.

The housing 22 is rectangular parallelepiped-shaped and made of resin. In fig. 1, the housing 22 is shown with an inclined grid. A ring-shaped or substantially U-shaped thin wall portion is formed at the right side face portion of the housing 22. When the seat side cushion portion 23 is unfolded, the portion disposed inside the thin wall portion of the right side surface portion is greatly pushed rightward by the seat side cushion portion 23, so that the thin wall portion is easily broken. Due to this breakage, an opening is formed in the right side surface portion through which the seat side cushion portion 23 can pass to the outside.

Further, a first gas generator (not shown) is fixed inside the housing 22. The first gas generator includes an igniter, a gas generating portion, and a gas ejection port. The side collision ECU 53 shown in fig. 1 is electrically connected to the first gas generator. An air supply port (not shown) (fig. 3, 4) of the seat side air cushion portion 23 is connected to the air ejection port.

Fig. 3 shows a state in which the seat-side airbag device 21 is activated. Fig. 4 is a view when fig. 3 is viewed from above. Fig. 5 is a view when viewing fig. 3 from the left side of the vehicle 10. The seat side cushion portion 23 is formed in a bag shape, for example, by placing two fabric materials made of nylon-based resin or polyester-based resin in an expanded state so as to face each other in the vehicle width direction while the outer peripheral edge portions of the fabric materials are sewn to each other. At a normal time when the vehicle 10 does not collide, the seat side cushion portion 23 is accommodated in the case 22 in a folded state.

A sensor 54 configured to detect a side collision of the vehicle is electrically connected to the side collision ECU 53. The sensor 54 is an acceleration sensor, a pressure sensor, or the like. The side collision ECU 53 is configured to activate the first gas generator when the side collision ECU 53 detects a side collision based on an output from the sensor 54. When the first gas generator is activated, the ignition agent is ignited, so that the gas generated in the gas generating portion is ejected from the gas ejection port. Thereby, gas is injected from the gas injection port into the gas supply port of the seat side cushion portion 23, and the seat side cushion portion 23 is inflated and expanded. At this time, the seat side cushion portion 23 breaks through the right side surface portion of the housing 22. Note that, in reality, when a side collision is detected, as will be described later, the wall-side cushion portion 33 of the wall-side airbag device 31 is also deployed together with the seat-side cushion portion 23. However, in fig. 3 to 5, in order to describe only the unfolded state of the seat-side air cushion portion 23, the wall-side air cushion portion 33 is shown in a folded state.

As shown in fig. 3 to 5, immediately after the seat-side cushion portion 23 breaks through the right side surface portion of the housing 22 to expose the right side of the housing 22, the seat-side cushion portion 23 is bent upward so that the seat-side cushion portion 23 can be deployed upward through the right side surface of the seat cushion 18. At this time, the seat side cushion portion 23 expands toward the tunnel 51 side in the front-rear direction. In the unfolded state of the seat side cushion portion 23, for example, the length D1 (fig. 3) in the vehicle width direction is smaller than the length D2 (fig. 3) in the up-down direction and the length D3 (fig. 4) in the front-rear direction. Thereby, the seat side cushion portion 23 is easily unfolded widely in the vicinity of the operator P, so that the seat side cushion portion 23 easily protects the body of the operator P.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7 described later, when the seat side cushion portion 23 is deployed, the wall side cushion portion 33 is deployed downward from the upper side of the dash wall 50. When the upper body of the operator P is tilted to the tunnel 51 side due to a side collision, the seat side cushion portion 23 is also pushed by the operator P to the tunnel 51 side. The distal end portion of the seat side cushion portion 23 is pressed against the surface of the channel 51 side of the wall side cushion portion 33 that expands downward, so that the distal end portion is restrained from largely falling down toward the channel 51 side. This can suppress the operator P from being thrown largely to the passage 51 side.

The wall-side airbag device 31 is placed inside the dash wall 50 above a side window 71 (fig. 5) and inside the end portion of the roof surface 70 on the dash wall 50 side. When a side collision of the vehicle 10 is detected, the wall-side cushion portion 33 (fig. 6, 7) of the wall-side airbag device 31 deploys downward (arrow β direction in fig. 6, 7) from the upper side of the dash panel 50.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 5, the wall-side airbag device 31 is placed such that the wall-side airbag device 31 extends rearward along the roof side 73 from the upper side of the a pillar 72 of the vehicle, and the rear end portion of the wall-side airbag device 31 is bent and extended inward in the vehicle width direction. The wall-side airbag device 31 includes a belt-folded wall-side cushion portion 33. The wall-side cushion portion 33 in the folded state is supported by the vehicle body such that the wall-side cushion portion 33 is placed inside the trim made of resin and forming the dash wall 50 and inside the trim made of resin and forming the end portion of the roof surface 70 on the dash wall 50 side. In fig. 1 to 5, the wall-side cushion portion 33 in the folded state is shown in a dotted line area.

Further, the wall-side airbag device 31 includes two second gas generators 34, 35 (fig. 5). The side collision ECU 53 is electrically connected to each of the two second gas generators 34, 35. The respective gas ejection openings of the two second gas generators 34, 35 are connected to two gas supply openings at positions longitudinally distant from the portion of the longitudinal middle portion of the wall-side gas cushion portion 33 in the folded state.

When the side collision ECU 53 detects a side collision based on the output of the sensor 54, the side collision ECU 53 activates the second gas generators 34, 35 simultaneously with the first gas generator. When the second gas generators 34, 35 are activated, the igniting agent is ignited, so that gas is generated in each gas generating portion and ejected from the gas ejection port. Thereby, the gas is filled into the gas supply port of the wall-side gas cushion portion 33 from the gas discharge ports of the second gas generators 34, 35, so that the wall-side gas cushion portion 33 is inflated and expanded. At this time, the wall-side cushion portion 33 is unfolded downward (in the direction of arrow β in fig. 6 and 7) by breaking through the thin wall portion of the trim of the dash panel 50 and the roof panel 70.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the vehicle seen from the diagonally upper left side, and shows a state in which the wall-side airbag device 31 is activated. Fig. 7 is a view when fig. 6 is viewed from the left side of the vehicle. The wall-side airbag device 31 is formed such that a plurality of tubular portions 37, 39, 40 extending in the up-down direction are arranged in a connected manner in the front-rear direction in the deployed state. The tubular portions 37, 39, 40 are divided into a window facing portion 36 that covers the window 71 (fig. 5) and an overlapping portion 38 that is connected to the rear end of the window facing portion 36 and is constituted by the two tubular portions 39, 40. The plurality of tubular portions 37 forming the window facing portion 36 are formed to have a cylindrical shape and are configured such that the top and bottom ends thereof are covered with hemispherical portions, and chambers in adjacent tubular portions communicate with each other. The height of the tubular portion 37 of the window facing portion 36 gradually decreases toward the front side according to the shape of the window 71.

The front tubular portion 39 forming the overlapping portion 38 is configured such that an upper end portion of the front tubular portion 39 forms a small-diameter cylindrical portion having substantially the same shape as the tubular portion 37 provided in the rear end of the window facing portion 36, and a large-diameter cylindrical portion having a larger diameter than an upper end portion thereof is formed in the middle portion and a lower end portion of the front tubular portion 39. The small diameter cylindrical portion and the large diameter cylindrical portion are connected to each other. The large diameter cylindrical portion protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction from the small diameter cylindrical portion. The rear tubular portion 40 of the overlapping portion 38 has substantially the same cylindrical shape as the middle and lower end portions of the front tubular portion 39. Both ends of each of the tubular portions 39, 40 in the overlapping portion 38 are also closed by hemispherical portions. The interior cavity of the window facing portion 36 communicates with the interior cavity of the overlap portion 38. When the seat-side cushion portion 23 of the seat-side airbag device 21 is reversed toward the tunnel 51 side together with the operator P, the overlapping portion 38 overlaps the distal end portion of the seat-side cushion portion 23 to suppress the seat-side cushion portion 23 from largely falling down. Therefore, the overlapping portion 38 can suppress the operator P from being thrown out by a large margin.

With the occupant collision protection apparatus 20, in the case where a large space S is provided between the seat 12 and the dash panel 50 due to the presence of the tunnel 51, it is possible to suppress the operator P sitting on the seat 12 from being thrown out to the tunnel 51 side at the time of a side collision of the vehicle, and effectively absorb the impact to be applied to the operator P, without excessively enlarging the size of the respective individual units of the airbag apparatuses 21, 31.

This will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a schematic view corresponding to the portion a in fig. 1, and shows a state in which the seat-side and wall-side airbag devices 21, 31 are activated when the vehicle 10 has slid in the arrow α direction in fig. 8 and collides with the test lever in a side collision test of the vehicle 10. In the side collision test in fig. 8, in a state in which the vehicle 10 is placed on a cart (not shown), the vehicle 10 collides with the test lever 100 at a predetermined speed in the arrow α direction. The test lever 100 is disposed in an upright manner in the up-down direction. At this time, the seat side and wall side airbag devices 21, 31 are activated, and therefore the cushion portions 23, 33 are deployed. When a load caused by a side collision is applied to the vehicle from the outer end of the tunnel 51 side in the width direction, the operator P is thrown to the tunnel 51 side. In this case, the thus-unfolded seat-side cushion portion 23 is pushed by the operator P who falls to the tunnel 51 side, so that the seat-side cushion portion 23 is deformed to the tunnel 51 side. At this time, the seat side cushion portion 23 is deformed such that the distal end side thereof approaches the overlapping portion of the wall side cushion portion 33 which is unfolded downward from the upper side. Thereby, the upper end side portion of the seat side air cushion portion 23, which is the distal end portion of the seat side air cushion portion 23, is pressed against the wall side air cushion portion 33, so that the seat side air cushion portion 23 can easily support the body of the operator P moving to the tunnel 51 side. This can easily suppress the operator P from being thrown largely to the passage 51 side, and easily absorb the impact to be applied to the operator P. Further, in such a configuration, the two airbag devices 21, 31 can easily and immediately form the support body that supports the operator P, without excessively enlarging the size of the individual units of the airbag devices 21, 31. Therefore, without excessively enlarging the size of each individual body of the airbag devices 21, 31, it is possible to suppress the operator P sitting on the seat 12 from being thrown out to the tunnel 51 side at the time of a side collision of the vehicle, and to effectively absorb the impact to be applied to the operator P.

Meanwhile, as a comparative example, it is also conceivable that the cushion portion is deployed between the seat and the dash panel by only a single body of the airbag device (i.e., by only the vehicle-side airbag device or the seat-side airbag device), so that the cushion portion extends in the vehicle width direction, and thereby the cushion portion extends between the occupant seated in the seat and the dash panel. However, this case causes drawbacks in that the size of the airbag device unit is enlarged and it takes time to deploy the cushion portion. Further, in the case where the size of the air cushion portion is enlarged, the generation amount of gas is increased, making it difficult to accurately and stably deploy the air cushion portion.

Further, the seat-side airbag device 21 is placed under the seat cushion 18 of the seat 12, and the seat-side cushion portion 23 can be deployed upward by the right side surface 18b of the seat cushion 18. Thus, as shown in fig. 8, when the vehicle 10 collides with the vehicle side, the upper end side of the seat side cushion portion 23 also moves toward the tunnel 51 side as the operator P moves toward the tunnel 51 side. At this time, since the seat-side cushion portion 23 is unfolded upward by the right side surface 18b of the seat cushion 18, most of the seat-side cushion portion 23 in the up-down direction is liable to be deformed along the body of the operator P. This makes it possible to more easily suppress the operator P from being thrown largely to the passage 51 side. Further, since the seat side airbag device 21 is placed below the seat cushion 18, the width of the passage 51 can be easily ensured at normal times.

Further, in fig. 8, when the seat-side cushion portion 23 falls down, the right side surface of the seat-side cushion portion 23 abuts against the upper end corner portion adjacent to the inner end of the lid portion 52 of the dash wall 50 in the vehicle width direction, so that the seat-side cushion portion 23 is hardly slidable downward. This also makes it possible to more easily suppress the operator P from being thrown largely to the passage 51 side.

Note that in the present embodiment, the deployment timings of the cushion portions 23, 33 of the seat-side airbag device 21 and the wall-side airbag device 31 are not limited to those when a vehicle side collision is detected. When the control device determines that an abnormality having a possibility of a side collision has occurred, the air cushion portions 23, 33 may be deployed. For example, when the control device provided in the vehicle determines that it is difficult to determine whether the vehicle is in a frontal collision or a side collision based on an output from a sensor such as an acceleration sensor of the vehicle, the air cushion portions 23, 33 may be deployed.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cabin-front side portion in a state in which a seat-side airbag device 21a is activated in a vehicle 10a that includes an occupant collision protection device 20a according to another example of the embodiment. In this example, the housing 22a of the seat-side airbag device 21a is placed on the floor surface so as to be closer to the tunnel 51 side than the seat cushion 18 of the seat 12. The seat-side cushion portion 23a of the seat-side airbag device 21a can be deployed upward through the right side surface of the seat cushion 18. The housing 22a has a thin-walled portion on an upper side surface portion thereof, so that an opening through which the seat-side cushion portion 23a can be led to the outside is formed in the thin-walled portion.

Even in the configuration of the present example, similarly to the configuration in fig. 1 to 8, since the seat-side cushion portion 23a is unfolded upward by the right side surface of the seat cushion 18, most of the seat-side cushion portion 23a in the up-down direction can be easily deformed along the body of the operator P. This can easily suppress the operator P from being thrown largely to the passage 51 side. Other configurations and effects of the present example are similar to those in the configurations of fig. 1 to 8.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a cabin-front side portion of a vehicle 10b that includes another example occupant collision protection apparatus 20b of the present embodiment. Fig. 11 is a view when fig. 10 is viewed from above. In the configuration of the present example, the seat-side airbag device 21b is placed on the channel 51 side of the seat back 14 of the seat 12, and the seat-side cushion portion 23b (fig. 12) can be deployed forward.

More specifically, the housing 22b of the seat-side airbag device 21b is fixed to the surface on the side of the tunnel 51 that forms the pillar portion 61 of the seat frame structure 60 behind the seat 12, and is placed closer to the tunnel 51 than the seat 12, so that the housing 22b is placed closer to the upper end portion of the seatback 14. The upper end of the tunnel side pillar portion 61 is fixed to the roof portion.

The seat side cushion portion 23b is accommodated in the case 22b in a folded state. The seat side cushion portion 23b can be unfolded forward. For this reason, a thin-walled portion is formed in the front side surface portion of the housing 22b, and an opening through which the seat-side cushion portion 23b can be led to the outside is formed in the thin-walled portion. Similar to the above configurations of the respective examples, a first gas generator fixed inside the housing 22b is connected to the seat side cushion portion 23b.

Further, on the floor surface, the lower support seat 41 is fixed at a position adjacent to the front side of the tunnel-side column portion 61 on the right side of the seat 12. The lower side support seat 41 is provided to support the lower end of the seat side cushion portion 23b when the seat side cushion portion 23b is unfolded forward. As shown in fig. 11, the lower support 41 is formed in a triangular column shape such that the lower support 41 has a substantially right triangle shape when viewed from above. The lower support seat 41 may be formed in a triangular tube shape such that an upper end thereof is closed by a cover portion. In the up-down direction, the upper end of the lower support seat 41 is located at the same or lower position than the upper end of the portion of the seat surface 18a of the seat cushion 18 adjacent to the lower support seat 41. The right side surface of the lower support seat 41 is an inclined surface inclined rightward toward the rear. This can suppress the width of the portion of the channel 51 on the right side of the bottom support base 41 from narrowing.

Fig. 12 is a view corresponding to fig. 10, showing a state in which the seat-side airbag device 21b is activated. Fig. 13 is a view when fig. 12 is viewed from the left side of the vehicle. When the seat-side airbag device 21b is activated, the seat-side cushion portion 23b deploys forward by breaking through the front side portion of the housing 22b, and also deploys downward and toward the channel 51 side. In the deployed state of the seat side cushion portion 23b, for example, its length in the vehicle width direction is smaller than its length in the up-down direction and its length in the front-rear direction. Thus, the seat side cushion portion 23b is easily unfolded widely close to the operator P, so that the seat side cushion portion 23b easily protects the body of the operator P.

Even with the configuration of the present example, in the case where a large space S is provided between the seat 12 and the dash wall 50 due to the presence of the tunnel 51, in the case where the sizes of the respective individual units of the airbag devices 21b, 31 are excessively enlarged, when a vehicle collides with a side surface, it is possible to suppress the operator P sitting on the seat 12 from being thrown out to the tunnel 51 side and effectively absorb the impact to be applied to the operator P.

The following is a more detailed description with reference to fig. 14 and 15. Fig. 14 is a schematic view corresponding to part B in fig. 10, and shows a state in which the seat-side and wall-side airbag devices 21B, 31 are activated when the vehicle 10B has slid in the arrow α direction in fig. 14 and collides with the test lever 100 in a side collision test of the vehicle 10B. In a state where the vehicle collides with the test lever 100 in the arrow α direction, the seat-side and wall-side airbag devices 21b, 31 are activated so that the cushion portions 23b, 33 are deployed. Subsequently, when the operator P is thrown to the tunnel 51 side, the seat-side cushion portion 23b that expands forward is pushed by the operator P who falls to the tunnel 51 side, so that the seat-side cushion portion 23b deforms to the tunnel 51 side. At this time, as indicated by an arrow γ in fig. 15, the seat side cushion portion 23b is unfolded outward so that the front end portion thereof faces the dash wall 50. Then, the seat side cushion portion 23b is deformed such that the front end side, which is the distal end side of the seat side cushion portion 23b, approaches the overlapping portion of the wall side cushion portion 33 that spreads downward from the upper side. Thereby, as shown in fig. 14, the front end portion of the seat side cushion portion 23b, which is the distal end portion of the seat side cushion portion 23b, is pressed against the wall side cushion portion 33, so that the front end portion can easily support the body of the operator P moving to the side of the passage 51. This makes it possible to easily suppress the operator P from being thrown largely to the passage 51 side, and easily absorb the impact to be applied to the operator P. Other configurations and effects of the present example are similar to those in the above-described example.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view around the seat 12, and shows a state in which the seat-side airbag device 21b is activated in the occupant collision protection apparatus according to another example of the embodiment. Fig. 17 is an enlarged view of a portion C in fig. 16, and fig. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion D in fig. 16. In the configuration of the present example, in the deployed state of the seat side cushion portion 23b, the longitudinally intermediate portion of the reinforcing strip 43 made of cloth or the like is attached and fixed to the front edge portion of the surface of the seat side cushion portion 23b on the channel 51 side. The upper end of the reinforcing tape 43 is attached via the first metal fitting 44 to a portion of the channel 51-side surface of the channel-side pillar portion 61, which is located above the housing 22 b. The bottom end of the reinforcing belt 43 is attached via a second metal fitting 45 to a lateral frame 63 that constitutes the seat frame structure 60 and extends in the vehicle width direction below the housing 22 b. In this example, a slit is formed near the thin-walled portion of the front side portion of the housing 22b, and the slit is closed by a rubber lip. Both ends of the reinforcing tape 43 are led out through the slit and the rubber lip. Thereby, in a state where the seat side cushion portion 23b is folded and accommodated in the housing 22b, both ends of the reinforcing strip 43 led out from the housing 22b are attached to the pillar portion 61 and the lateral frame 63 via the first metal fitting 44 and the second metal fitting 45, respectively.

According to the configuration of the present example, in the deployed state of the seat-side cushion portion 23b, the upper side portion and the lower side portion of the reinforcing belt 43 are pressed against the surface of the seat-side cushion portion 23b on the channel 51 side, thereby suppressing the seat-side cushion portion 23b from moving toward the channel 51 side. Thus, even when a force for moving the developed seat side cushion portion 23b toward the tunnel 51 side is applied from the operator P to the developed seat side cushion portion 23b at the time of a side collision, the seat side cushion portion 23b hardly falls down toward the tunnel 51 side, and the operator P can be further restrained from being thrown out to the tunnel 51 side at a high speed. The reinforcing strip 43 may be divided into an upper side portion and a lower side portion such that the upper side portion and the lower side portion are fixed to the front edge portion of the seat side cushion portion 23b in a separated manner. Other configurations and effects of the present example are similar to those of fig. 10 to 15.

Note that the above description relates to the case where the wall-side cushion portion 33 is placed inside both the dash wall 50 and the end portion of the roof surface 70 on the dash wall side at normal times. However, the wall-side air cushion portion 33 may be placed only inside the dash-side end portion of the roof surface 70.

Further, the above description relates to the case where the tunnel 51 is formed on the right side of the seat 12 in the vehicle compartment 11, the seat-side cushion portions 23, 23a, 23b of the seat-side airbag devices 21, 21a, 21b can be deployed to the right side of the seat 12 (i.e., the tunnel 51 side of the seat 12), and the wall-side cushion portion 33 that can be deployed downward is placed on the side of the vehicle compartment wall 50 that faces the right side of the tunnel 51. Meanwhile, a configuration may also be adopted in which a passage is formed on both the left and right sides of the seat 12, or a passage is formed only on the left side, so that the seat-side cushion portion can be deployed to the left side of the seat 12, and the wall-side airbag device including the wall-side cushion portion that can be deployed downward is placed on the dash side on the left side of the vehicle.

The above description relates to a seat in which the seat side airbag devices 21, 21a, 21b are disposed in the peripheral portion of the seat, and the operator P sits. However, the seat configured such that the seat-side airbag device is provided at the peripheral portion of the seat may also be a passenger seat in which a passenger as an occupant sits. In this case, the seat side cushion portion is deployed between the tunnel and the passenger seated in the passenger seat. Further, a wall-side airbag device including a wall-side cushion portion that can be deployed downward is provided on a side of a cabin wall facing the passenger seat.

Further, the vehicle is not limited to the passenger vehicle, but may be another type of vehicle including a tunnel facing a side surface of the seat in the vehicle width direction.

Claims

1. An occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle including a seat in which an occupant sits and a passage between a side surface of the seat in a vehicle width direction and a dash wall facing the side surface, the occupant collision protection apparatus comprising:

a seat-side airbag device configured to deploy a seat-side cushion portion between the tunnel and the occupant seated on the seat, the seat-side airbag device being placed around the seat; and

a wall-side airbag device including a wall-side cushion portion configured to be deployed downward from an upper side of the dash panel, the wall-side airbag device being placed inside an end portion of a roof surface on a dash side, wherein the seat-side cushion portion and the wall-side cushion portion overlap in the vehicle width direction when in a deployed state.

2. The occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the seat side airbag device is placed on the lower side of a seat cushion having a seat surface of the seat or on a tunnel side closer to the seat cushion than the seat cushion; and is also provided with

The seat side cushion portion is configured to be deployed upward by a side surface of the seat cushion in the vehicle width direction.

3. The occupant collision protection apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein:

the seat side airbag device is placed on a tunnel side of a seat back of the seat; and is also provided with

The seat side cushion portion is configured to be deployed forward.